Caretaker boss Gary Megson aims to lift West Brom's mood

24 November 2017

Caretaker West Brom boss Gary Megson wants " bouncy people" around the training ground as the team look to move on from the sacking of Tony Pulis.

Megson, who managed the Baggies between 2000 and 2004, has been put in charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis and is preparing the squad for Saturday's trip to face Tottenham at Wembley.

However, the new backroom set-up has left no hands on role for a ssistant head coach Ben Garner, who had also worked with Pulis at Crystal Palace.

Megson, though, insisted there was "never a cross word" between the pair as everyone looked to move forwards.

"From my own point of view, on Monday they told me what had happened with Tony and I would be charge in the interim. From that moment on, you switch into what you've done in the past," Megson said at a press conference, broadcast on the club's official website.

"I have done this for nearly 700 games and been a manager for a long, long time, so I just wanted to do what I felt was right for the football club.

"We have got some really good coaches here - Dessy (Mark) O'Connor is a terrific coach, Jonathan Gould. We have got other analysts - Carl Blakemore is terrific at his job.

"It was just something I felt we needed on the back of what happened to Tony. We needed to lift that mood, you know have bouncy people, enthusiastic people about.

"There's nobody here that's using this as like an audition, trying to push themselves forward the West Brom job, myself included.

"We are all here to roll our sleeves up and try to get the players in the right frame of mind to go out and compete."

Megson added: " It is not a case of falling out (with Garner). We never had a cross word."

West Brom continue to seek a permanent replacement for Pulis, who was appointed in January 2015, but left with the team 17th in the Premier League and on the back of four straight defeats.

Alan Pardew has emerged as the leading contender, while former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is also said to have been on the club's radar.

Megson said: " In order to get the right person in the club's eyes, I am sure it takes a little bit of time to go through the process so that what they do is the right thing for the club at the right time."

West Brom were trashed 4-0 at Chelsea last weekend and Megson is hoping for a positive response against Spurs.

"We got a hiding last week against Chelsea," he said.

"You would hope that there is a professional pride - and there will be - that doesn't happen (again)."

Megson, though, knows it will be tough against a "world-class" Tottenham side at Wembley.

He added: " We know it will be really difficult , but we have to go down there and give it a right good go."